Monday, October 16, 2006
-1:51 PM
everyone remembers where you were when 911 occured. but where were the day after 911? how did you feel? i remember when i was in P1, watching the news on TV. i didn't know what's happening. what i did know was a huge number of people are going to die. the day after, i had this feeling of deseolation, of hopelessness. little did i know that God had actually planned this.
let me show u something. u dont need to believe it. im jus illustrating a point.
so what's my point? the enemy was behind the attacks. he wanted to demoralise the world. he wanted people to start blaming God. he wanted people to say," What kind of God could allow such a thing to happen?" But God had other plans.
in the video, did you see what the firemen saw? no? well, they saw a cross. standing upright. now what are the chances of a steel girder, falling from a few hundrew metres, and landing upright? it's a miracle. from that day, it had become a refuge for the workers, and a safe place for a city deeply traumatized by such an incomprehensible tragedy. It had become a place where men could go to find peace in the midst of the senseless maelstrom that surrounded them. This naked steel girder cross became for many, a shelter in the midst of a storm. Men prayed there. They looked for answers to the uncertainties and tragedies of life. They took account of their own lives. They looked to the One who hung on a cross so many years ago, and found refuge in the steadfast arms of Jesus. He was the One who made sense out of an Old Rugged Cross. Perhaps He could make sense out of this one.
if u read Revelations, God says he's going to release judgement unto the world. it is pretty much the same for this. Satan saw this as a way of weakening the world. God saw way beyond this. that's why he planted the Cross in the midst of that darkness.
Yet, this cross symbolizes God's call and love for America, and the world for that matter. He is calling us to "repent, for the kingdom of God is near". my principal, Ms Lim, keeps saying that "it doesn't matter whether u are Christian, buddhist, taoist, muslim or hindu; u still have a god". still obviously doesn't read, or understand, the Bible. For Jesus says, "I am the Way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."[John 14:6] God loved the world so much, he didn't just dumped them aside. he wanted them. the 911 was a wake-up call, repent, repent.
"This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel says: 'In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it…Therefore you will flee…till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill." [Isaiah 30:15-18]
God loves you. Repent.
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911 also showed me one thing: my God is alive. The one thing that survived the mass of carnage and steel when the towers collapsed was this magnificent, albeit twisted, steel girder cross. It was a sign that when everything falls apart, and the foundations are shaken, we can be sure that God is still on the throne.
"Saviour, he can move the mountains. My God is mighty to save, he is mighty to save."
this song showed me that God can save you. he can heal you. but there is one condition.
"If My people, who are called by My name will HUMBLE THEMSELVES AND PRAY AND SEEK MY FACE, then will I hear from heacen...forgive their sin and HEAL THEIR LAND." [2 Chronicles 7:14]
that's powerful. God will heal us. there is no mountain to tall God cannnot move.
"'My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness.'".[2 Corinthians 12:9]
"The Lord your God is with you. He is MIGHTY TO SAVE." [Zephaniah 3:7]
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so this is my final point: in the midst of this darkness, there is a hope a light that burns. the hope is in the cross.
Monday, October 09, 2006
-4:04 PM
2 Samuel 6:1-5 "david again brought together out of Israel chosen men, thirty thousand in all. he and all his men set out from Baalah of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on the ark."[vs 1] u see, in the old testament, the ark of God symbolises the presence of God. it symbolises the glory of God. they would be carry it around and the presence of God would follow them.
"they set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it. David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating WITH ALL THEIR MIGHT."[vs 5] WITH ALL THEIR MIGHT. God is raising up a generation who will not turn up for church and do a nice little clap and a nice little handwave, he's raising up a generation that will worship him WITH ALLL THEIR MIGHT!
you see, i believe the church will be the biggest party on the planet. not the sporting event, not the turn of the century or even millenium, not a rock concert, not anything else, it should be in the house of God because the Almighty God is there in great power. and there were celebrating with all their might.
you see the devil wants to make the church dead and boring. he's trying to quiet it down. you know why? cause dead ppl make no noise. imagine ur in a funeral, and a dead person suddenly pops out and say "Hi!" it will scare you to death.
they were celebrating with all their might. God is not looking for a generation that will give him 98%, or even 99.9999999999%, he's looking for a generation that will give him a 100%. because he's the most high God, he is worthy of my praise, he is worthy of more noise, he is worthy of more passion, he is worthy of more hunger!
"David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with songs..."[vs 5]
u should have been in the Fesetival of Praise 2005. at the last day, everyone was on their feet and jumping. even old ppl. it was incredible.
2 Samuel 6:8-11 "Then David was angry because the Lord's wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah. David was afraid of the Lord that day and said. "How can the ark of the Lord ever come to me? he was not willing to take the ark of the Lordto be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, AND THE LORD BLESSED HIM AND HIS ENTIRE HOUSEHOLD." you see, when you chase after the presence of God, when the presence of God comes to your house, the blessings of God follow. he blessed him and his entire household! you want to live in the blessings of God, you want God to come and pour his power and spirit, you want to feel the presence of God, you want to be healed, delivered, saved, set free, then you got to pursue the presence of God!!
2 samuel 6:12-14 "Now King david was told. ' The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of GOd.' So david went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom..."[vs 12] wat!! david didn't even want the ark of God in the first place. and when the ark came to Obed-Edom, he said "okay", and then david comes and takes it away. not fair.
"So David went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of Dabid with rejoicing. When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fatterned calf. Davd, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord WITH ALL HIS MIGHT."
the bible says he became a doorkeeper or a gatekeeper in the house of God. he was so hungry, he said, " my name might be Obed-Edom, server of the wilderness, but i've got to pursue the presence of God!"
your youth group, your church, your life, you need to pursue where God is! pursue it with all your might. he was a gatekeeper. what's a gatekeeper? a gatekeeper was responsible for keeping the ark in the house of God. God's maked you a gatekeeper of his presence for this generation. not only was he a gatekeeper but he was a musician. you say," im not musical", well sure you are. your whole body is a musical instrument. when you have stomach problems, you're the double bass. :fart: when you sleep, you are a percussive instrument. :snores: when you walk in the morning, you make noise. you sing in the shower. you comp your hair, you can hear it. especially the girls. i hope mr ang doesn't see this, but when he combs his hair, there isn't any noise, because there is not hair. u are a musican of God. u might not be able to play the piano, the guitar or the drums, but you are God's instruments! you are God's voice to shout, you got a voice to shout, you got hands to clap, you got feet to jump!!
he was a musician. let's be the greatest musicians ever known. sing like u've nvr sing. shout like u've never shout. dance like u've nvr dance. give like u've nvr give. jump like u've nvr jump.
he was a musician. he also looked after the treasure. see God annointed him to look after the treasure of the house. God wants this generation to look after the treasure of his presence of the house. he wants you. if you say, "when im older', no, now!! it does not matter how old you are, you are God's vehicle to look after d treasure of the house of God!
the bible also says he is a descendant of the sons of Korah. sons of Korah wrote psalms. he was a descendant. he knew. he had it in his spirit. and they wrote my favourite psalms....
Psalms 84
"How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints for the courts of the Lord!"[Vs 1] There're times when i don't even know what to say. it's that feeling of yearn. it's like "Arh!!!God!!!! i want you!!!" yearning.
"My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home; a swallow a nest for herself where she may have a place for your young, a place near your altars O Lord Almighty, my King And my God! Blessed are those who dwell in your courts...."[Vs 4]
not those who just sit around, stand on the outsitde, who dwell, who just abide there, who just want to be there. blessed are those who dwell.
you see Obed-Edom had the presence of the Lord come to his house, he wanted to be where it is cause blessing follow if he dwells in the house of God.
".....there are ever praising you."
Ps Russel Evan's grandma has always dwelled in the house of God. she would be always praising. she went through some hard times. she was lying in india dying of smallpox, being there as a missionary for 5 yrs. as she lyed in bed, she said " Jesus, you haven't called me to die in India, you called me to win India." and Jesus walked into the room, grabbed her hand and said "I haven't called you to die in India., i've called you to live in India, i've called you to win India." and the power of God came on her body and she was completely healed from the top of her head to the tip of the toe. there wasn't even a mark left on her body. for 27 yrs, she served in India, and then in New Guinea and back to Australia. and she was always praising.
"Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage."[Vs 5]
what have you put ur strength in? is it your friends, is it your parents, is it yourself? that all wears out. but when your strength is in Him, whose heart is set on a pilgrimage. see being a christian is a journey. but if u just walk out from church evryday being changed ur leaving the journey God has called you to take. he wants you to walk into higher things. God is going to cause you to soar on eagle's wings. he's going to give u dreams, visions. he's going to heal ur heart, why, so that you can stop pursueing, no, for u to keep pursueing. it says this....
"As they passs through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion."[Vs 7]
i am sick of seeing people encounter God and peter out. God wants you to go from strength to strength, he wants to give u an annointing, a breakthrough.
"Hear my prayer, O Lord God Almighty; listen to me, O God of Jacob. Look upon our shield, O God; look with favour on ur annointed one."[Cs 8-9]
there it is. Obed-Edom, server of the wilderness, pursueing the Lord with all his might, became all doorkeeper. and here's my favourite part....
"
Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere."[Vs 10]
better is one day in God's presence than a thousand elsewhere. than a thousand days of being the richest person, than being the most popular person, better is one day in God's courts.
"I would rather be a
doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked."[vs 10[
you see Obed-Edom was named server of the wilderness. his life became server of the house.
Song:Don't pass me by
Artist: Planetshakers
Lyrics:
[Verse]
My heart it longs
My soul it thirsts for more
For more of You
I'm reaching out
I'm waiting here for more
For more of You
[Pre-chorus]
Cause all
I want is You
And all I need
Is to be here with You
I'm hungry
For Your fire
I'm desperate
Your my one desire
Jesus,Please don't pass me by
Cause I need You
More than ever
I'm thirsty
For a touch from heaven
Jesus
Please don't pass me by
Don't pass me by
[Verse]
[Pre-chorus]
[chorus x 2]
I'm hungry for you.
I'm hungry for you.
I'm hungry for you.
So hungry for you.
[x 2]
I'm desperate for you.
I'm desperate for you.
I'm desperate for you.
So desperate for you.
Let this be the prayer of ur heart evryday. i'm hungry for you. i'm desperate for you.
